BIW Firefighter (IAFF 5257) Andrew Sullivan & 7 Year-Old Son Both Win First Place in Pine State Classic Strongman Event

PHOTO: Andrew Sullivan.

Bath Iron Works firefighter Andrew Sullivan (IAFF 5257) won first place in the Pine State Classic strongman competition in the heavy weight class this past Saturday at the Union Fair Grounds in Union. Sullivan, 38, will go on to compete in the national United States Strongman competition in Charlotte, North Carolina in June, 2025. The same day, his 7 year-old son Mickey also won first place in his first time competing in the kids Strongman competition.

"Congratulations to Brother Andrew Sullivan and his 7 year old son Mickey for their wins at the Pine State Classic strongman event," the Bath Iron Works Professional Firefighters wrote on Facebook. "Local 5257 was happy to sponsor our brother and we’re glad to serve alongside you!"

This will be the third time that Sullivan has qualified for the National strongman competition, having won 4th place in the nationals in 2022 and 5th place in 2018. All proceeds from the Maine event go to Camp Sunshine, a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

The Pine State Classic brings together athletes to compete in a range of weight lifting activities like dead lifts, overhead lifts and skill events. But unlike other strongman competitions, no barbells are used. Instead, contestants, lift cars, press giant logs or axels, throw sacks of sand and carry various farming implements. The competition also includes lifting large stones like the ““stones of manhood” that ancient Celts used to prove their worth to their clans.

“Strongman is kind of a niche sport,” said Sullivan. “The first Strongman event was in 1977 in California and it’s primarily based on old time strongman movements. It’s basically can you lift that heavy thing with an old school twist.”

While working as a volunteer and per diem firefighter with the Caribou Fire Department several years ago, Sullivan first learned about Strongman event after attending a Strongman competition across the border in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick.

“I missed the competition but I was able to try some of the events between when the athletes were competing and the very first time I tried it I was able to flip an 800 lb tire and shoulder a 250 lb stone,” said Sullivan. “After that, I was like this is amazing! I was completely addicted.”

Only a few gyms in Maine have the specialized equipment needed to train for these strongman competitions, so Sullivan had to order some of the components and other parts he had fabricated.

“If you don’t have the objects it puts you at a kind of disadvantage,” he said. “A lot of times having a good gym with a lot of strongman equipment makes a huge difference.”

At Saturday’s competition, Sullivan carried 520 pounds for 75 feet and lifted an over 3,000-pound Dodge Avenger.

“It was a leveraged lift,” Sullivan said, “so I didn’t lift the full weight of the car, but it was still pretty darn heavy!”

This year, Sullivan’s son Mickey (seen above) asked if he could do the kids competition, which is a much smaller version of the adult event. It included  two reps of a smaller atlas stone over a bar, a log press and a farmer’s carry of 55 lbs in each hand for 25 feet down and back.

"The best time was 32 seconds and Mickey completed it in like 26 seconds, so he blew that time out of the water and took the show easily,” said Sullivan proudly.